Helsel lauded as ‘key’ to Altoona Community Theatre
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Steve Helsel and Altoona Community Theatre are synonymous.
"I do not know if we would even exist if Steve were not here. He holds us together. He is the key to the organization," said Cynthia Baney, president of ACT's board of directors.
Helsel has served as ACT's operations manager since 1987 -- he is the organization's only full-time employee.
Helsel became interested in theatre at a young age.
"I got interested when my sister, Dee Anne, was a theater major at Penn State. One of the first things was seeing her as a child in 'The Fantastics' at Penn State Altoona. I liked it so much, I persuaded my mother to let me go the next night by scrubbing the floor," Helsel said. "I just think it (theater) is a place where magic happens, it is an escape and serves my creative interests."
Helsel came under the wings of drama teacher Nanette Anslinger while a student at Roosevelt Junior High School where he had two roles in the production of "Oliver!"
"I was a warehouse assistant in the opening scene and was in the ensemble for the rest of the show. She wanted you to have a specific character, so I was the village idiot. She may not remember that," Helsel said.
"It was to his credit that, as a freshman, he was mature enough not to be at all intimidated by playing the village idiot … as some might have been," Anslinger said. "Talented, dependable, convivial and eager are four adjectives I can use to describe him. He worked extremely well with the group process necessary in putting on a show -- and I don't think I've ever seen a frown on his face."
At Altoona Area High School, Helsel was active in the drama program under Eleanor Maurer and Ken Strayer. In high school he played the father in "I Remember Mama."
After graduating from high school in 1973, Helsel decided to attend Penn State, spending his first two years at Penn State Altoona, where he met Joyce Kipp, drama teacher and sponsor of the Ivyside Players. She also was his adviser.
"He was a tremendous help with the players group (Ivyside Players). He is musically inclined, and I depended on him to help me out. He was very friendly and open and worked very nicely with the other students," Kipp said.
Helsel said he came from a Penn State family.
"My sister was a theater major. My younger brother, Fred, was also in theater at Penn State. The Pavilion Theatre across from the Creamery was a show arena for the agriculture program. My mother (Majorie Ann Helsel) was an animal husbandry major, and she showed cattle in that building before it became a theater. She performed in that building before any of us," Helsel said.
While at Penn State, Helsel, who graduated in 1977, did some acting but mostly worked on crews. He directed the musical "The Apple Tree" for the Penn State Thespians.
Helsel said he enjoyed acting, but was more interested in set and lighting design work and directing.
After graduating from Penn State, he went to work at the family business -- the Altoona Mirror, where his grandfather, J.E. Holtzinger, was the publisher.
Helsel worked in the newsroom in different capacities and wrote entertainment news for the Mirror.
While at the Mirror, he got involved with Altoona Community Theatre as a volunteer and became president of ACT's board of directors.
However, he left the Mirror in 1984 when the family business was in the process of being sold to Thomson Newspapers. He applied for a job in Los Angeles and accepted an administrative job -- director of programs and services -- with the California Theater Council.
"Moving to California was an adjustment to make. I was living with people of many different cultures. It was a great experience. I liked California, but the nature of my job was changing," Helsel said.
In 1987, ACT decided to seek a full-time operations manager. Helsel applied for the job, got it, and has been in the position ever since.
"I have an administrative job. I do scheduling and public relations and fundraising. My job is all administrative duties. I participate artistically, but it is not part of my job. It is my occupation, but I work at it as a hobby," Helsel said.
Helsel said he usually directs one show a year and designs sets and lights for different productions.
"If I had to pick one thing, the thing I like best is directing," Helsel said.
He still acts occasionally.
"Occasionally I get talked into playing a part if they need someone. The last major thing I did was 'All My Sons' in 2009. Sometimes I miss the acting end of it," Helsel said.
Helsel said his favorite part of the job is working with people.
"We have a lot of families that get involved. There is a core group of people who have been with us for a long time. We are like a family of people that love theater," Helsel said. "When you're working with a theater group, you're dealing with a lot of individuals, some who admittedly have artistic temperaments and egos, but in the end everybody's goal is the same … to create the best experience possible for the audience."
In 1998, Helsel received the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art Outstanding Service to the Arts Award, but said the highlight of his career came in 2007 when ACT was invited to represent the United States at the Third Yakumo International Theatre Festival in Japan, competing against five top companies from around the world over a nine-day period and being honored with the event's Outstanding Technical Production Award.
Helsel directed the show, a two-person version of "Alice in Wonderland."
Actors David Leonard and Amber McDonald and technical director Brian McConnell joined him on the trip.
"They were looking for a show that would appeal visually. I thought it would be a good fit. We did two performances. It was a tiny theater that seated about 135 on benches. It was a pristine wood theater," Helsel said. "Participating was an amazing experience."
Helsel has played a huge role at ACT, Anslinger said.
"Steve has dedicated decades of his life to making the art of theater accessible to as many people as possible here in our hometown. His journey as operations manager has gone through many transitions as he's encouraged theater competitions in town as well as taking ACT actors on the road to compete on the state level. He's been the driving force behind acquiring the ACT workshop building and bringing it from a state of almost complete disrepair to a fully functioning rehearsal space, office, workshop area for set and costume construction, and storage space for organizing, literally, thousands of pieces of scenery, props and costumes," Anslinger said. "I don't know anyone for miles around who's as dedicated to the art and production of theater as Steve."
Baney said Helsel is one of the most artistic, talented and creative people she has ever met.
"He writes well, is an excellent musician, designs and directs well, and he has a crazy sense of humor. I wish he could direct every show. He is very good at grant writing. He is so incredibly creative and sees things differently than the rest of the world," Baney said. "We hired Steve to help keep us going. He was the only employee. He did everything. Finally, we hired an assistant. Steve is so good at coordinating and working with other arts groups. He gets it. We all need each other to survive. We work collectively to promote the arts in Altoona. He is so good at that."
Helsel, 61, has no immediate plans to retire and is grateful to ACT for the opportunity he has been given.
"Working with people in a cooperative atmosphere is what I enjoy, and I am lucky to work in this kind of organization in a city of this size," Helsel said. "I am grateful ACT had the foresight to create this position, and I am blessed to have been here this long."
Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 946-7467.